“The History of Sound” is an adaptation of Ben Shattuck’s award-winning story that focuses on two men, Lionel (Mescal) and David (O’Connor) who set out to record the lives, voices and music of the men fighting during World War I. As the story details, Lionel recounts his time with David as indicative of the one real relationship he’s ever had. It’s unclear whether the film will eschew the flashback element of the story in favor of making Lionel and David’s relationship the overarching story. The film is set to be directed by Oliver Hermanus with shooting set to take place next summer.

“I instantly fell in love with Ben Shattuck’s flawlessly beautiful short story and knew I had to be involved in its journey to the screen,” said Hermanus of the project to Variety. “Paul and Josh are two of the most promising actors of their generation who will share with us deeply soulful performances. This is an unexpected love story that needs to be told — it is a journey through the life of America, across the 20th century and the traditions of American folk music, all seen through the bond between two men immersed in the history of sound. This undeniably powerful story will certainly resonate with audiences the world over.” Related Olivia Colman Claps Back at ‘Heartstopper’ Fans Who ‘Bullied’ Kit Connor Into Coming Out Paul Mescal Is Coming to Terms with Being a Real Oscar Contender Related 7 New Netflix Shows in October 2022 – and the Best Reasons to Watch Oscars 2023: Can Anyone Top ‘Maverick’ in Best Sound?
Both Mescal and O’Connor have blazed a trailer over the last two years. O’Connor became one of several dominating performances in the last season of Netflix’s “The Crown,” winning an Emmy for his performance as Prince Charles. He also starred opposite Jessie Buckley in a retelling of “Romeo and Juliet” that IndieWire’s Steve Greene called not so much “an update, but a hypnotic, lockdown-shot distillation” in his A- review. Mescal came to prominence for his work on the Sally Rooney adaptation of “Normal People,” one of the bigger hits of the pandemic. He can be seen most recently in the upcoming Netflix feature “The Lost Daughter” starring Olivia Colman. Sign Up: Stay on top of the latest breaking film and TV news! Sign up for our Email Newsletters here.